Marlboro Playground

Marlboro Playground, and the surrounding housing complex, takes its name from a sub-community built by the Brooklyn Development Company in the early part of the 20th century. Taking their cue from Gravesend, named after a British town, many of the area real estate developers gave their new sub-divisions very distinguished-sounding English names, creating an impression of high status and exclusivity to attract potential residents. Developers may have chosen the name Marlboro to refer to the nearby community of Borough Park, although the new neighborhood received the more Americanized spelling. Some Bensonhurst residents still recall a time when part of their neighborhood was referred to as “Marlboro.”